What was the significance of the Eucharistic Congress 1932?
(LCH 2008: Essay-based question)
RELIGIOUS SIGNIFICANCE: The Eucharistic Congress, 1932 was significant in religious,
political and cultural terms. The EC was a collective experience which resonated with the
whole country and was remembered by all who attended it. It demonstrated the importance
of the Catholic faith to the majority of the Free State’s citizens at the time (92.5%).
The huge turnouts for the EC’s main congregational events were an indication of how
important this event was to the Catholics of the state. For instance, the Men’s, Women’s and
Children’s Masses were special days of commemoration with tens of thousands attending
each event.
The Pontifical Mass in the Phoenix Park, the highlight of the EC, had an estimated attendance
of one million people and was intended as a showcase to the world of Irish devotion to the
Catholic religion.
Ultimately, the 1932 Congress was significant in unifying a the Free State through common
religious belief. This was all the more remarkable given the political, social and economic
tensions following the Civil War. As Diarmuid Ferriter writes, the EC ‘seemed to confirm that
whatever divided Irish people politically, they were firmly united when it came to their
Catholic faith…’
POLITICAL SIGNIFICANCE: The EC 1932 was also significant in political terms, serving as
a ‘bridge’ between the C na G and FF governments.
While the 1922 Irish Constitution prohibited the favouring of any religion over another, C na
G’s devotion to Catholic values was mirrored in the legislation of the time (Intoxicating
Liquor Act, Censorship of Films Act, etc).
In the run-up to the EC, the General Election became a significant testing ground as both CnaG
and FF, in the words of Dermot Keogh ‘vied to demonstrate their orthodoxy as Catholic
parties.’
The EC was also significant in that it gave the new FF-dominated government an opportunity
to show off its Catholic credentials and its organizational abilities. Gearoid Ó Tuathaigh
points out that the EC led to a ‘respect for the capacity of the new state to order its business.’
De Valera’s welcome speech to Cardinal Lauri at the EC’s opening ceremony underlined FF’s
commitment to Catholic teaching: ‘…as you are children of Christ, be you also children of
Rome.’
The EC was politically significant as it healed much Civil War bitterness. The co-operation
of An Garda Síochána and the Irish Army with FF during the EC was extraordinary given their
armed opposition less than 10 years before.
PROMOTION OF CULTURAL IDENTITY:The EC 1932 was also significant in that it showed
clearly that the identity of the Irish Free State was undeniably a Catholic identity. The EC
highlighted the cultural differences between Protestant ideas of
‘individualism’ and
Catholic emphasis on the ‘faith community.’
The EC reinforced (in the view of Irish Protestants) why partition existed, as it was seen as
nothing less than Catholic triumphalism.
Southern Protestants, in particular, took notice of the constant references to the Pope’s
infallibility during the Congress. Similarly, attacks on Northern Catholics travelling to
Dublin for the EC were evidence of the continuing tensions between both religious
communities.
The focus on the use of the Irish language, the emphasis on Gaelic imagery in state
documents (i.e. the harp) and the decorations surrounding the EC (shrines, crosses, saints’
banners) reinforced the view that the Free State was ‘a Catholic state for a Catholic people.’
The EC promoted a cultural identity that was proudly Catholic. Dermot Keogh has noted that
the EC ‘…was not simply a religious celebration. It was a manifestation of Irish Catholic
nationalism.’ Therefore, in religious, political and cultural terms, the EC was hugely
significant